Scientists are pioneering a new way of monitoring water species, using techniques more familiar to fans of crime scene TV shows.

Spangled perch are one of Australia’s strongly migratory native fish. After storms in January 2015 these fish were actively travelling up a flooded road in outback Northern Territory.
Jessica BrownJune 27, 2016

Much of the world still lacks access to proper sanitation and clean water - an issue that needs urgent action. But without low-carbon technologies, clean water could come at the expense of the climate.

Waterbugs are used for the monitoring of river ecosystem health across the world.
Amanda WoodmanJuly 17, 2015

Freshwater ecosystems such as rivers, lakes and wetlands are precious. They contain several-times more vertebrate species per unit area than land and ocean environments, and they are more degraded. Protected…

Across California there are plenty of signs of just how dry it’s been, such as here in Topanga Canyon near Los Angeles.
wasim muklashy/Flickr via CC BY-NC-SANovember 7, 2014

Last January, California Governor Jerry Brown declared a State of Emergency following projections of severe drought. State bureaucrats and local officials jumped into action and mandated any number of…

The federal government’s approach for the Murray-Darling Basin Plan has shifted again, and now favours water-saving infrastructure over purchasing water rights. But is it the right move? The new scheme…

Water management in the Murray-Darling may be inadvertently helping the common carp at the expense of native fish.
Tom RaynerMay 2, 2014

Wetlands and rivers need water – not least in the case of Australia’s biggest river system, the Murray-Darling Basin, which has been the target of an “environmental watering” plan designed to preserve…

Leckie’s Crayfish is found in a tiny mountain stream in northern New South Wales.
Jason CoughranAugust 29, 2013

Australia has about 135 species of freshwater crayfish - and we’re still describing more. Case in point are the Cherax group of crayfish, which includes the critically endangered Hairy Marron from Western…

Fracking would exacerbate problems with low water levels in reservoirs.
John Giles/PAAugust 21, 2013

The drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) of wells for oil or gas is a well-established technique and requires large quantities of water. During the initial drilling of the well, water is needed…

It’s hard being a tiny snail in a Great Lake.
Karen RichardsJune 13, 2013

While you’re worrying about pygmy-possums and hairy-nosed wombats spare a thought for some of Australia’s least known endangered species. Freshwater molluscs - snails, slugs and mussels - are in trouble…